Wind turbine suitable for mounting without a wind turbine tower

ABSTRACT

This invention discloses an improved wind turbine suitable for mounting without a wind turbine tower. The wind turbine is based on a rotor with appropriately selected blades. A nozzle and diffuser in the wind flow increase the amount of wind energy available to the rotor. The rotor is interruptibly connected with one or more of a plurality of generators which allows generation at a wide range of wind speeds. The rotor is also interruptibly connected with a co-axial flywheel which allows for storage or use of rotational energy as needed by the availability of wind energy. One or more wind turbines can be grouped together in a common housing. Electricity can also be generated by means of stored energy. The lack of a wind turbine tower and the general compact design allows the wind turbine to be used in close proximity to or on buildings.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/558,541, filed Sep. 14, 2017, which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This patent disclosure relates to wind turbines that increase air flowthrough the use of nozzles and diffusers and that are suitable formounting without a wind turbine tower.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wind turbines are well known as means of converting the kinetic energyof the wind into mechanical energy by the turning of rotor blades. Inturn, the mechanical energy can then be converted into electrical energyby means of an electrical generator.

One type of a wind turbine used for electricity generation is comprisedof a rotor with a multiplicity of long slender blades connected to acommon spindle situated on the top of a suitably sized tower. Anillustration of this type can be found in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No.8,622,698. Challenges faced in practice with this type of wind turbineare inefficiency at low wind speeds, the height of the towers andblades—required for safety and efficiency—and the overall intrusiveappearance of such large structures. U.S. Pat. No. 8,622,698 alsoillustrates the common wind turbine tower used in practice: a slender,tall single element support.

In part, the efficiency of a wind turbine is predicted by Betz's Law.This law predicts that a wind turbine can only capture less than 16/27(59.3%) of the kinetic energy of the wind. The limit arises as a resultof the collision of air molecules that transfer their energy to therotor blades.

In practice, wind turbines can only capture about 75 to 80% of theBetz's Law limit. However, a means of achieving higher efficiencies isto collect additional wind flow by the use of nozzles and diffusersbefore and after the rotor. The challenge is more fully described inUS20120175882.

Many wind turbines with shrouds or cowlings to create nozzles anddiffusers are known in the art. One example is found at WO2012137008.Another is found at WO2006065248. An earlier type of wind turbine shroudspecified for use on a tower structure is found at U.S. Pat. No.4,075,500. However, in practice, the weight and wind load of the shroudsprove to be difficult to mount on wind turbine towers.

Other short-comings of wind turbines are described in US2012282092starting at paragraph 0014. These include: inefficient operation closeto the ground; large dimensions required by towers; expensivemaintenance and cyclic stresses and failures.

One type of inefficiency in wind turbines is created by the windcurrents which are created at the tips of blades. One means of solvingthis problem is to enclose the blades in a structure whereby there areno such currents. Such an arrangement is found in CA2590918 (at FIG. 3).In this patent, the drum also acts as a part of the electricalgenerator.

It would be beneficial if a wind turbine could be designed that would beefficient at lower wind speeds, could be installed without the use ofthe common wind turbine tower and could generally overcome thepreviously known short-comings of wind turbines in general. CA2590918previously referred to teaches that a cowled turbine can be installed atthe top of a wind turbine tower. CA25090918 also teaches the use of afin to passively steer the turbine into the wind.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,433 teaches the elimination of the wind turbinemast. However, similar to CA2590918, U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,433 teachesonly the use of a freely-rotatable turntable to ensure the turbine turnsinto the wind and the additional use of tail fins (Column 9, line 5) toensure that the turbine self-centers in the wind.

Another short-coming of turbine design is the use of a single generatoroperating coaxially with or driven by the central shaft of the rotor ofthe turbine. Such a placement requires that the turbine be shut down forgenerator maintenance or repair. In addition, placement of the generatorat the central shaft of the rotor generally involves difficult access intight quarters. CA2590918 previously referred to, teaches the optionaluse of one generator driven by the circumference of the rotor (FIG. 5)but does not teach the use of a mechanical interruption or the use ofmore than one generator.

The use of only one generator in wind turbines limits their ability toefficiently generate electricity over a wide range of wind speeds. Agenerator sized for average expected wind speeds is generallyinefficient at lower air speeds causing the wind turbine to be idled insuch conditions.

A challenge with electricity generation is the losses of electricity inthe transmission and distribution system. Significant amounts ofelectricity are lost in the simple transmission of electricity from oneplace to another. Because of this challenge, it is desirable thatgeneration systems be placed close to where electricity will be used.The present invention allows generation capacity to be placed in closeproximity to or, in suitable cases, on, buildings eliminatingtransmission losses.

A final challenge with systems related to electricity is the difficultyin storing excess electricity and smoothing out fluctuations in theelectricity source. This challenge is pronounced when using wind topower electricity generators due to natural fluctuations in the wind.One means of solving this problem is by the use of flywheels andclutches as found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,749,083. However, the systemproposed therein suffers the challenge of having to mount a heavyflywheel at the top of a wind turbine tower.

Liquids such as water may have flows similar to gasses such as air. Ashort-coming of the designs of most wind turbines is the inability toadapt those designs to areas of natural water flow in order to generateelectricity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to overcome limitations of the priorart in increasing the wind speed through the device.

It is another object of this invention to improve the efficiency ofelectricity generation by providing for a connection between the rotorand one or more of a plurality of electrical generators on thecircumference of the rotor as appropriate for the velocity through therotor.

It is another object of this invention to create a means of storingexcess electricity by mechanical or other means and to allow such excesscapacity to be used as required.

It is another object of this invention to create a compact device whichmay be easily mounted horizontally or vertically and used in anylocation including on the roofs of buildings.

It is another object of this invention to enable the use of one or moredevices according to the present invention in the same installation.

This patent describes a device which, in one embodiment, uses a centraldrum-style rotor in which the wind-driven blades are affixed. The use ofa drum-style rotor allows the blades be fixed on the outside orcircumference of their motion eliminating the vortices that develop inmore conventional wind turbines.

The use of a drum-style rotor also allows many different types anddispositions of blades to be used. The two principle types of bladesthat can be used are screw and fan blades.

A screw blade is a helical flange with the width of the flange beingroughly equal to the radius of the rotor. The flange is connected on itsoutside end to the rotor following the path of a helix. The central sideof the flange can be loose or optionally connected to a spindle co-axialwith the rotor. If more than one screw blade is used, the screw bladesare proportionally located within and co-axial with the rotor. In theevent of an even number of flanges opposite sided flanges will trace outa helicoid shape with opposite flanges actually being one piece.

The helix of the screw blade can be right- or left-handed and will havea pitch described as the distance between the points where the helix hasmade one complete turn. In addition, the flange can be connected to therotor at various angles. The handedness, the pitch, the rotor-connectionangle and the position within the rotor of the screw blade may bedetermined by experimentation and optimized for a particular combinationof rotor sizes and wind speeds.

A fan blade is a plurality of blades about a central axis co-axial withthe rotor. The blades are connected at their distal ends with the rotorand at their central ends with each other or with an optional spindle.The shape, sizes, angles and design of the fan blades and their locationwithin the rotor may be determined by experimentation and optimized fora particular combination of rotor sizes and wind speeds.

Other types of rotors can be used in the present invention. For example,a central spindle can be provided for to which appropriately sized fansor blades are affixed. Appropriate hubs can be affixed to the centralspindle as required.

Nozzles to concentrate the wind can be placed before the rotor toincrease the flow of incoming air. In similar fashion, diffusers can beplaced behind the rotor in order to drop the pressure of the exitingair. Both techniques are useful in order to increase the ability of thedevice to generate electricity in low wind velocity situations.

Nozzles and diffusers can be fashioned through the use of appropriatelyshaped cowlings. Intake cowlings concentrate wind to create a nozzle forintake airflow. Exit cowlings create low pressure zones to act asdiffusers for output airflow.

Another means of increasing the wind velocity on the rotor is to use areverse conical spindle. Such a spindle will increase the venturi effectpresent within the rotor. The actual location of such a spindle wouldtake the disposition of the blades to be used into account as well asany nozzle or diffuser being used.

The rotor rotates freely about its axis. Such a free rotation can beaccomplished with traditional bearing rings at two or more places aroundthe rotor. Alternately, less friction-prone bearing systems such as airbearings or magnetic bearings can be used and are well known in the art.

The device can be turned by a suitably-sized motor driven turntablewhich is well known in the art. Anemometers to measure direction andspeed of wind and control circuitry well known in the art are used todetermine the direction required. Unlike traditional turntables usedwith wind turbines, which rotate freely and may be directed into thewind using passive methods such as fins, this allows the device to beturned both into and away from the wind through controlled means asrequired by prevailing wind conditions.

The drum-style rotor of the present invention presents a number ofdifferent means by which electrical generators can be mechanicallyconnected. Preferably, a plurality of generators is used with mechanicalmeans to individually connect each generator to the circumference of therotor. Because the mechanical connection of a generator creates a loadfor the rotor, in low wind situations, it is desirable to only have oneor more generators mechanically connected with the rotor to operate atthe generator's highest efficiency given the lower wind speed. At highwind loads, more generators can be mechanically connected to thecircumference of the rotor to take advantage of the higher energypresent in the system. Means to mechanically interrupt the connection ofgenerators with the rotor and to control the same are well known in theart.

In addition to one or more electrical generators, the present inventioncan use such electrical generators in reverse as drivers. The saiddrivers can use electrical energy to rotate the rotor to bring it up tooperational speeds when first activated. Alternately, drivers can beused to store surplus electrical energy in the rotor or in the coaxialflywheel.

In the present invention the generators which are connected to thecircumference of the rotor can be easily serviced or maintained withoutstopping the entire device. The generator to be serviced or maintainedcan be disconnected from the circumference of the rotor and then easilyremoved by an overhead crane as required.

The device can have a co-axial flywheel with the rotor. The flywheel canbe connected to the rotor and generators with clutches and gearing inorder to store the motion of the rotor in the flywheel or alternately tohave the flywheel power the generators. It is also possible, at times ofelectrical energy surplus, to operate the system in reverse by havingthe generators act as drivers which in turn transfer energy to theflywheel.

The means to connect and transfer the motion of the flywheel to and fromthe rotor and generators and to control the same are well known in theart and include one and two-way clutches, gearboxes and torqueconverters.

The device as described can be mounted without a tower. The overall sizeof the device is proportional to the diameter of the rotor and theadditional cowling.

The device can also be disposed in a modular fashion allowing multipleunits to be used in a common installation on a common turntable rotationsystem. In a modular installation with multiple units, anyone or moreunits may be easily removed for repair or maintenance, by means of anoverhead crane and in any weather conditions, while leaving the balanceof the units in place for production.

Although the device is inherently robust, in the event of very high windspeeds such as during tropical storms and hurricanes, the controller canangle the device partially or fully into or away from the wind by meansof the motor driven turntable, in order to continue operating underthese conditions and capture the maximum power of the device. Existingdesigns must be shut down in these conditions.

The present invention can also be adapted for use in naturalwatercourses. All of the internal aspects can be waterproofed with therotor turned into or placed within the direction of water flow.

As part of an overall system of such turbines, it is an object of thepresent invention to be used and mounted in a wide range of locationsand installations. For example, in a coastal area, the device as a windturbine could be mounted on off-shore towers or barges and in on-shoreinstallations including towers and buildings of different heights. Thedevice can also be effectively used in the water where the possibilityof a driving current exists.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are explained, by way of example,and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings illustrateonly examples of embodiments of this invention and are therefore not tobe considered limiting of its scope, as the invention may have otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of a wind turbineaccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front-view of a wind turbine according to theinvention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a wind turbine according tothe invention across a section A-A from FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a phantom view of the principal interior componentsof a wind turbine according to the invention in the same orientation asFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a phantom view of a wind turbine according to theinvention as in FIG. 4 with an alternate outer housing and situated on aturntable.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a wind turbine according to theinvention as illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of a wind turbine according to theinvention as illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 illustrates a detailed schematic view of a generator assemblyused in a wind turbine according to the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a rear view of a wind turbine according to theinvention as illustrated in any of the foregoing figures with the exitcowling removed in order to illustrate the disposition of the interiorworkings.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side phantom view of an alternate embodiment ofthe invention where multiple wind turbines are grouped together in acommon housing with overhead crane for maintenance.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate embodiment ofthe invention of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of the alternate embodiment of theinvention of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of another alternate embodimentof the invention where a different grouping of multiple wind turbinesare grouped together in a common housing.

FIG. 14 illustrates a front view of the alternate embodiment of theinvention of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 illustrates a side phantom view of the alternate embodiment ofthe invention of FIG. 13 showing that wind turbines can also be groupedin a disposition where the outlet ports of one set of wind-turbines canfeed the intake ports of additional wind turbines all within a commonhousing.

FIG. 16 illustrates the wind-turbine of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 situated ontop of the roof of a building.

FIG. 17 illustrates the invention of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 situated inmany types of land based installations.

FIG. 18 illustrates the invention of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 situated in offshore based installations.

FIG. 19 is a schematic of a flywheel interruptible clutch arrangement.

FIG. 20 is a graph showing potential power available versus wind speedcomparing the invention and two traditional wind turbines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a cut-away perspective view of the wind turbine 10according to the invention. The invention has helical blades 20 around aco-axial spindle 25. The housing 30 also shows the intake cowling 35which concentrates the intake airflow as a nozzle. The cut-away sectionshows the location of the helical blade support 38 and a co-axialflywheel 40. Everything within the helical blade support 38 comprisesthe rotor of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the wind turbine 10 according to theinvention. The turbine shows the leading edges 22 of the helical blades20 around a co-axial spindle 25. The intake cowling 35 concentrates theintake airflow as a nozzle and covers other equipment within thewind-turbine preventing the entry of dirt, animals and other detrituswhich would interfere with the windturbine.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the wind-turbine 10 across thesection A-A from FIG. 2. The wind turbine is turned so that the windenters the wind turbine from the left and exits at the right. This showsthe intake cowling 35 which concentrates the intake airflow as a nozzle,the helical blades 20 and the location of the co-axial flywheel 40. Thefigure also shows a co-axial spindle 25 designed to provide additionalintake airflow concentration by being conical in shape with its largestend in the direction of the helical blades. The helical blades 20 rotatewithin the blade housing 41 which is, in turn separated from the outerhousing 42 by suitably positioned guide rollers 44 or generatorassemblies 50. Everything within the blade housing 41 acts as the rotorof the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a phantom view of the principal interior components of thewind turbine 10 in the same orientation as FIG. 3. All parts within theouter housing 42 are shown with dashed lines. The intake cowling 35together with a co-axial spindle 25 concentrate the incoming airflow asa nozzle. The co-axial spindle 25 in this embodiment is also designed tohave an exit portion 26 which decreases the air pressure acting as adiffuser from the point of the leading edges 22 of the helical blades 20to their trailing edges 23. The helical blades 20 are attached to theexit portion 26 of the coaxial spindle 25 and, on their other side, theblade housing 41. The blade housing 41 acting as the rotor of theinvention rotates by suitably positioned guide rollers 44 or generatorassemblies 50. The blade housing 41 may also be mechanically engagedwith a gearbox 60 which allows mechanical energy from the blade housing41 to the flywheel 40 which is co-axial with and external to the bladehousing 41 but within the outer housing 42 and separated from the outerhousing 42 with friction reducing means.

FIG. 5 is a phantom view of the principal interior components of adifferent embodiment of the invention. All parts within the alternateouter housing 43 are shown with dashed lines. The alternate embodimentof the invention is the wind turbine 10 with an alternate outer housing43 which includes an extended intake cowling 46 and extended exitcowling 47. The wind turbine is turned on a mechanical turntable 70 sothat the wind enters the wind turbine from the left and exits at theright. The mechanical turntable 70 can be powered by motors or othermeans and controlled by microcontrollers with input signals from vaneanemometers and other techniques well known by those skilled in the art.The turntable 70 rotates about the centre line 71. The extended intakecowling 46 provides additional cross-sectional area to capture greaterwind energy and acts as a nozzle. The extended exit cowling 47 lowersthe pressure of the output airflow, increasing the speed of the airthrough the wind-turbine and acting as a diffuser.

FIG. 6 shows the device of FIG. 5 in perspective view. Also shown is anoptional mesh 75 placed at the entrance of the device and sized toprevent the entry of unwanted animals and objects and to act as a safetymechanism. This figure shows the wind turbine 10 which can be turned ona mechanical turntable 70 in order to place the opening into the wind.Also shown are the extended intake cowling 46 and the extended exitcowling 47. Inside the mesh can also be seen the co-axial spindle 25,the intake cowling 35, and the leading edges 22 of the helical blades20.

FIG. 7 shows the device of FIG. 6 in frontal view. This figure shows theextended intake cowling 46. The co-axial spindle 25, the intake cowling35, and the helical blades 20 can also be seen. Also shown is themechanical turntable 70.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic detail of a generator assembly. A generator oralternator 80 is mounted on a hinged base 84 and is directly connectedto a friction wheel or gear 82. The friction wheel or gear 82 can beengaged with a suitable driving source by engaging the actuator 86 whichallows the friction wheel or gear 82 to be engaged with a source ofrotational energy. The output of the generator or alternator 80 areconnected by means well known in the art to enable the production ofelectricity by engaging the generator assembly with the rotor of theinvention.

FIG. 9 shows a full rear view of the wind turbine 10 with the exitcowling removed. This figure shows the trailing edges 23 of the helicalblades 20 within the blade housing 41 which are, in turn, supported bythe guide rollers 44. All of the details within the blade housing 41 actas the rotor of the invention. Generator assemblies 50 can be engagedwith the blade housing 41 acting as the rotor on an individual basis inaccordance with a controller system which is well known by those who areskilled in the art. The said controller system would allow theengagement of generator assemblies with the blade housing 41 inproportion to the wind available.

FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention where individualwind turbine units can be grouped together in order to maximize windenergy available at specific locations. Each individual wind-turbineunit 11 can be housed in an external housing 90 which has an extendedintake cowling 91 disposed to concentrate wind energy available to allunits in the grouping. An overhead crane 93 can be used for maintenanceand removal of individual units. The overall assembly is located on anappropriately sized mechanical turntable 70.

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of agrouping of individual wind turbine units illustrated in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 shows a frontal view of the alternate embodiment of a groupingof individual wind turbine units illustrated in FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theinvention where multiple wind turbine units according to the inventionare grouped together in an alternate external housing 92.

FIG. 14 is a frontal view of the alternate embodiment of the inventionshown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a side phantom view of the alternate embodiment of theinvention shown in FIG. 13 where the dashed lines represent theprincipal components of the invention within the external housing. Thefigure illustrates that a second set of wind turbine units 95 can beplaced behind a first set of wind turbine units 96 in order to ensureall wind energy available is converted within the invention. The space97 between the two sets of wind turbine units is shaped and provided ina fashion that maximizes the diffuser effects for the first set of windturbine units 96 and the nozzle effects for the second set of windturbine units 95.

FIG. 16 shows the embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10,11 and 12, located on a building 100. The building is not shown as partof the invention but only to illustrate the present invention can beeasily located on the top of a building with suitable mechanicalconnection and control means well known to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 17 shows embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11and 12 located on different structures in land based applications. Theinstallations shown are specifically a vertical installation and a runof river installation. The structures are not shown as part of theinvention but only to illustrate how the present can be easily locatedon various structures. Wind turbines 10 can be located on towers orbuildings. Groupings of turbines 15 as in any of FIGS. 10 to 15 can alsobe mounted on buildings of different heights. Turbines 16 powered fromwater currents can also be installed.

FIG. 18 shows embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11and 12 located on different structures in an off shore basedinstallation. The structures are not shown as part of the invention butonly to illustrate how the present can be easily located on variousstructures. Wind turbines 10, or grouping of turbines 15 as in any ofthe FIGS. 10 to 15, can be located on off-shore towers or barges.Turbines 16 powered from water currents can also be installed.

FIG. 19 shows a schematic of a portion of the invention having aflywheel interruptible clutch arrangement for use in light windconditions. One or more of the generators 50 are placed in mechanicalconnection with the rotor 20 to generate electricity. The cross-hatchedareas show those portions of the invention being powered.

FIG. 20 is a graph showing potential power 101 versus wind speed inmetres per second 102. Average Canadian wind speed 103 of 7.5 m/s isshown as are hurricane force winds 104. The potential power which can beattained by the invention does not have the same limitations of a threeblade turbine unit that cannot operate efficiently at low speed 11 or inhigh wind, need to shut down to avoid destruction. The cross hatchedarea is the wind potential that can be utilized by the invention.

What I claim is:
 1. A wind turbine comprising: a freely rotatabledrum-style rotor open at both ends, with an inlet at one end forfunneling air into the rotor and an exit at the other end to direct airaway from rotor; one or more blades disposed within and connected to thedrum-style rotor and co-axial therewith whereby the passage of airthrough the rotor induces rotor to rotate about its axis; mechanicalmeans to direct the rotor into the direction of the wind; and means tointerruptibly connect one or more of a plurality of generators to therotor on the rotor's circumference in order to generate electricity. 2.The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the one or more blades are screwlikeblades.
 3. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the one or more bladesare fanlike blades.
 4. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the windturbine further comprises a diffuser following the outlet end of therotor.
 5. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the wind turbine furthercomprises a nozzle preceding the inlet at one end of the rotor.
 6. Thewind turbine of claim 1 wherein the wind turbine further comprises: adiffuser following the outlet end of the rotor; and a nozzle precedingthe inlet at one end of the rotor.
 7. The wind turbine of claim 1wherein the wind turbine further comprises: flywheel storage meansinterruptibly connected with the rotor and interruptibly connected withone or more of the plurality of generators; and control means to controlthe connection of the flywheel storage means to the said rotor and tocontrol the connection of one or more of the plurality of generators tothe flywheel storage.
 8. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the turbineis built in a modular style to allow the use of the wind turbine withother like wind turbines and means to direct the plurality of such windturbines into the wind.
 9. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein one ormore of the plurality of generators, when operated as a driver, convertselectricity into rotational energy.
 10. A modular wind turbinecomprising: a polygonal housing comprising a flat base, an open housinginlet end, and an open housing exit end, the open housing exit end beingopposite the open housing inlet end, wherein the housing is shaped toallow a plurality of the housings to be used in a stacked modularfashion; a freely rotatable drum style rotor horizontally mounted withinthe housings, the rotor open at both ends with a rotor inlet end forfunneling air into the rotor and a rotor exit end opposite the rotorinlet end to direct air away from the rotor, and wherein the rotor inletend and the rotor exit end are aligned with the housing inlet end andthe housing exit end respectively; one or more blades disposed withinand connected to the rotor and coaxial therewith whereby the passage ofair through the rotor induces the rotor to rotate about its axis; aninlet cowling within the housing and located at the housing inlet end toconcentrate air as a nozzle and direct the concentrated air into therotor; an exit cowling within the housing and located at the housingexit end to act as a diffuser receiving the exit air from the rotor; aplurality of generators interruptibly connected with the rotor andlocated on the periphery of the rotor within the housing in order togenerate electricity; a flywheel co-axial with the rotor and locatedwithin the housing, the flywheel interruptibly connected through atwo-way clutching means to the rotor and one or more of the plurality ofgenerators to store or use rotational energy; a motor driven turntableon which the flat base of the housing is placed which allows the windturbine to be directed into the wind; and a controller which measuresspeed and direction of the wind and which controls the motor driventurntable, the interruptible connections between the rotor and theplurality of generators, and the interruptible connection between therotor and the flywheel to maximize the electrical output of the windturbine under different operating conditions.
 11. A turbine for thegeneration of electricity comprising: a housing comprising a flat base,an open inlet end and an open exit end; drum style rotor means disposedwithin the housing, the rotor means comprising one or more bladeslocated within and connected to the rotor means, the one or more bladesdisposed to convert the flow of at least one of a liquid and a gasthrough the rotor means into rotation of the rotor means and orientedsuch that the rotor means is aligned with the open inlet end and theopen exit end; one or more generator means disposed within the housingand located on the periphery of the rotor means, the one or moregenerator means interruptibly connected with the rotor means to generateelectricity; flywheel means disposed within the housing and co-axialwith the rotor means to store rotational energy from at least one of therotor means and the generator means; two-way clutching means disposedwithin the housing to interruptibly connect the rotor means and theflywheel means to transfer rotational energy from one to the other forat least one of storing and using the transferred rotational energy;motorized turntable means to direct the turbine during the flow of atleast one of a liquid and a gas; and controller means to control theturntable means and the two-way clutching means in order to maximize theelectrical output of the turbine under different operating conditions.